Career Opportunities

Information Scientists assist people in locating information needed to make essential
and critical decisions in business and life. Information Scientists create adaptive
information systems that meet people’s needs rather than making people adapt to technology’s
requirements.

Careers in the field are varied. The degree lends itself to catering to each student’s
unique interests while providing a flexible and portable set of core Information Science
skills. These skills focus on the user and how to bridge technology to provide relevant
content tailored to each user’s needs and desires. Possible technical skills an Information
Scientist may possess include managing web applications, creating wireless web connectivity
and security, and making critical assessments and recommendations on existing and
new technologies based on organizational or individual needs.

Information Technology (IT) is a big focus of current careers in the field of Information
Science. IT professionals with both technology and business skills are needed in various
capacities to support the missions of modern organizations and businesses. Technical
skills are at a premium. However, additional business acumen is also desirable. IT
professionals with such skills as accounting, procurement, and management have an
advantage in the IT profession over narrowly focused professionals with degrees in
such fields as computer science.

Therefore, career options are available in various organizational and business settings
including large and small, public and private, and entrepreneurial and non-profit.
In fact, today, graduates in Information Science with a specialization in IT skills
are in so much demand that there is a real scarcity of new graduates to fill available
positions. Other Information Science careers focus on the preservation of physical
and digital information collections. Technical skills and information organizational
skills are most critical in these endeavors.

This variety of career options gives the Information Scientist the opportunity to
create their own specialized career track, pursuing personal interests and skills
as well as contributing their leadership and their core Information Science skills
as a team member who collaboratively solves the complex challenges and problems of
their chosen career field.